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May 26, 1931. P. J.- MccuLLouGl-l BRAKE BEAM SAFETY DEVICE Filed May 2, 1929 Pazzi JMC @ZZozgg/z,

l f of the ear truck. The safety bracketmay be Patented/,Balay 2.6-, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 'rApL J. MCCULEOUGH, or sr. Louis, MISSOURI, AssIGNoR 'ro scULLIN STEEL oo., or s'r.

,f l LOUIS, MISSOURI, `.A CORPORATION 0F DELAWARE BRAKE BEAM SAFETY DEVICE Application filed May; 2,

This invention relates to improvements in car trucks and principally to improvements 1n railway car trucks including a safety device4 for catching the brake beam should it break 5 loose and prevent its coming into contact with the road bed.

It has been common practice toiutilize brake lbeam safety devices comprising brackets which project beneath the brake beam in order to catch the brake beam shouldbreakag'e occur and prevent its coming vinto contact with the road'bed and causing serious damage, but the brake beamsafety device has principally been attached to the spring plank or safety hangers have been utilized which surround the brake beam.

It is an object of the present invention to simplify the construction especially in a truck which does not use a spring plank by providpreferably formedintegral with the bolster or it may be secured as a separate attachment by means of bolts or rivets.

It is further an object of the present inven- .tion to form the truck bolster with transversely extending webs forming brackets in such a manner that the safety brackets are initially a sufficient distance below the brake beam to permit the usual vertical movement of the bolster lto take place without causing a contact between .the safety brackets and the brake beams l Further objects and advantages ofthe present-improvements will be more readily apparent from the following description taken in connection "with the disclosed embodiment shown in lthe accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a` fra mentary plan view of a four-wheel car truc I Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on the plane indicated by 2-2 in Figure 1.

The car truck disclosed is generally of comnected at its ends to integral'side fra-mes 11, the side Iframes 11 carrying journal boxes 12 which provide bearings for the axle 13.

lVheels 14 are supportedby the axle just in-v side thejournal box bearings. The bolster 10 mon construction embodying a bolster 10 con- 1929. Serial No. 359,742.

has a box section, as illustrated in Figure 2, f

and includes a center platebearing 15 but it will be obvious thatmany other shapes of the l bolster4 could be utilized without departing from the spirit of the present invention. A

truss brake beam is shown including a compression member 16, and tension rods 17 con- Y nected at their ends to brake heads 18. The I brake heads 18 carry the'brake shoes 19 and may be supported by hangers 20. A center strut 21 extends between the compression and tension members and forms a brakev leverfulcrum including a slot 22 and pin bearing 23. Itis generally desirable to providevsome form of safety device which extends beneath the brake beam so that, iii-they brake beam should breakv or become disengaged from its supporting connections, it will not be allowed to drop into contact with the road bed. I,

transversely from,` both sides of the center portion of the bottom of the truck bolster and extend, as shown in the drawing, beneath the compression member of the brake beam. The

ing a bracket which extends from the bolster therefore Show brackets 24' which extend (0 brackets 24 are preferably formed, as shown 775 in the drawings, integral with the truck bolster and form webs Awhich are extensions of j' the lower web of the bolster. The webs 01"I brackets 24 may if so' desired, be formed with upstanding ribbed edges 25 to strengthen the S0 construction and to serve as retaining means to prevent the 'slippage of the beam, should it drop on a web.

1t will be apparent that such a construction of the brake'beam safety device is rela- 85 tively easy to manufacture and does not require adjustment nor is it subject to wear. 1t is obvious that `the brackets should be so designed that the usual vertical movement of the spring-.supported bolster may be allowed v without causing contact between the brackets 21 and the brake beam. However, should the brake beam become disengaged or' broken, it will be caught by the brackets 24.

may be resorted to in the commercial embodiments of my invention accordingto the par- It is apparent that many modifications I claim 1. A car truck including a bolster and a supported brake beam, and a bracket outwardly extending from the truck bolster and rigid therewith beneath the brake beam and serving as a safety device.

2. A car truck including a bolster and supported brake beams, and brackets 'formedjn-v tegral with the truck bolster extending outwardly therefrom beneath said brake beams and serving as safety devices.

3. A cartruck includin a bolster and supported brake beams, saidolster including a lower web and extensions therefrom, said ex- ,15 Itensions being arranged beneath said brake l beams and acting as safety devices, said extensions lalso being vertically spaced downward from said brake beams whereby the usual vertical movement of the bolster is per- I 0 mittefl 4. A car truck of the type including a bolster and truss brake beamssaid bolsterhaving integrally formed therewith, brackets extending from the center portion of said bolster beneath said brake beams, said brackets being adapted to act as safety devices.

5. A car truck o'f the type including a bolster and truss brake beams, said bolster` having an integral lower web and integral flanges in the plane of ysaid lower web outwardly extending from the center portion of 4said bolster beneath 4portions of said brake A `beams to act as safety devices.

6. A truck bolster including rigid brackets outwardly extending therefrom adapted to project beneath supported brake beams and to serve as safet devices, the outer edges 4of said brackets inc uding raised lips to prevent slipping of the brake beams when the 40 brackets are acting as safety devices.

7. A truck bolster including rigid brackets outwardly extending from the center portionthereof adapted to serve/as brake beam safety devices.

8. A truck bolster box type in section including a lower tension member and brackets outwardly extending from said tension member and adapted to serveyas brake beam safety devices.

so signed st st. Louis, Missouri, thisenn day of April, 1929.

- PAUL J.

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